The Hobey Baker Memorial Award is presented to a deserving recipient on the day before the last college hockey game of the season. But that doesn’t mean that college hockey fans, players, and media members don’t think about it all season. This week’s Inside College Hockey’s Hobey Tracker predicts the 10 finalists for the award before they are officially announced Thursday evening. Our forecasted top 10 is listed in alphabetical order.

The INCH 4×4 represents how we think the NCAA Tournament field will look WHEN THE BRACKET IS ANNOUNCED Sunday, March 21.

Thought bubble: Last year, it was Miami that knocked Minnesota Duluth out of the NCAA Tournament. That happened in the final of the West Regional in Minneapolis. This year, it looks like the Bulldogs will be ousted from the 16-team field by Alabama-Huntsville — two weeks before the tournament starts. Unless the Bulldogs can advance to the WCHA Final Five championship game, it’s likely that they’ll watch the NCAAs from the wrong side of the velvet rope with UAH, the surprise winner of the CHA auto-bid, as the bouncer. The other teams on the bottom rung of the at-large ladder — Vermont and Ferris State, to name two — are hoping if they can’t win the auto-bid their respective leagues, then the favorites carry the way across the board. Sometimes, the “win and get in” approach is better than relying on someone else.
ALBANY East Regional			WORCESTER Northeast Regional
	1. Wisconsin	As much as I would like to ignore you, Vermont, with your sub-.500 league record and one regular-season win streak of two games in Hockey East play, a computer says I can’t. I’ll play by the rules, stupid as they may be.		1. Boston College	With one team from the CCHA, ECAC Hockey, Hockey East, and WCHA, this region could serve as a de facto Ice Breaker Tournament field. And of the projections here, this regional has the best balance.
	2. Cornell			2. North Dakota
	3. New Hampshire			3. Yale
	4. Vermont			4. Ferris State
FORT WAYNE Midwest Regional			ST. PAUL West Regional
	1. Miami	One green-clad team based in Michigan out of the three hole, and another green-clad team based in Michigan in. Also, with UAH taking over as the no. 16 seed overall, RIT slides over to become Miami’s first-round opponent.		1. Denver	We took some liberties with the three seeds to keep UNH and Yale closer to home and prevent Alaska from flying across the entire continent. Besides, the threes are so even on paper they’re virtually interchangeable.
	2. Bemidji State			2. St. Cloud State
	3. Northern Michigan			3. Alaska
	4. RIT			4. Alabama-Huntsville
Last two in: Vermont, Ferris State  First two out: Minnesota Duluth, Michigan State Stock rising: Northern Michigan  Stock falling: New Hampshire, Yale INCH’s projected auto-bids: Atlantic Hockey-RIT; CCHA-Miami; ECAC Hockey-Cornell; Hockey East-Boston College; WCHA-Denver. Alabama-Huntsville won the CHA auto-bid.

Ohio State announced Tuesday that the contract of John Markell, head men’s hockey coach at Ohio State, will not be renewed.

Markell was head coach of the Buckeyes the last 15 full seasons, beginning his tenure as the interim head coach in 1995. He was 280-267-56 in his career at Ohio State. He led the squad to six NCAA tournament berths, most recently in 2009. He also headed the program’s first Frozen Four appearance in 1998 and a CCHA tournament championship in 2004.

Chris Schneider, associate athletics director for sport administration, oversees the men’s hockey program at Ohio State and will conduct a national search to fill the position.

CAMERON TALBOT
Alabama-Huntsville
Sr. | G | Caledonia, Ontario

His Statistics: Made 72 saves on 74 shots in CHA tournament wins against Robert Morris and Niagara.

His Impact: Cameron Talbot was the man for Alabama-Huntsville as he stopped 72 of 74 shots he faced on the weekend as the Chargers won the College Hockey America tournament championship. He earned the tournament’s most valuable player award.

Talbot’s 29-save shutout of Robert Morris in the semifinals sent the Chargers to the championship game, and was UAH’s first shutout since November of 2008. Talbot made 43 saves in the championship game.

Some say the goalie is a team’s most-important penalty killer and Talbot epitomized that. He held Robert Morris scoreless in seven power-play opportunities and blanked Niagara in five extra-man chances as 18 of his saves on the weekend came during opposition power plays.

His Runners-Up: Louie Caporusso, Michigan; Mike Clemente, Brown; Josh Heidinger, Canisius; Rob Madore, Vermont; Garrett Roe, St. Cloud State.

The INCH National Player of the Week is presented by The INCH Shop

Sunday night hockey is a rare occurrence in the college game, but nine games were played this past weekend as playoff series were stretched to the limit across the nation. Not only did it give fans an opportunity to get out to their local rinks one last time before games move to neutral sites, but fans of other teams around the nation certainly followed along to see which opponent their favorite team might draw next weekend or how certain results impacted NCAA Tournament criteria. 

INCH has long heralded the regular-season championship as a worthwhile and meaningful goal for all teams to achieve. It’s a sign of sustained excellence against regional and traditional rivals over a long period of time. Here’s another benefit: It guarantees a very good overall record, and is a nice insurance blanket if things don’t go your way in the conference tournament.

Top-seeds and first-place teams New Hampshire, Yale and Bemidji State were all eliminated in their first action of their respective conference tournaments. UNH and Yale lost quarterfinal playoff series on home ice. Bemidji State lost in the semifinals of the College Hockey America tournament. It’s no way to get momentum for the NCAA Tournament, but teams (Denver and Miami come to mind) have proven that you can have success in the national tourney after early exits in the conference playoffs. 

“That was a vicious hit … it’s not the kind of hits we want to see in the game. My own personal feeling, it was more than a five.”

Minnesota coach Don Lucia, talking to reporters Sunday about a second-period hit by North Dakota forward Matt Frattin that knocked Gopher defenseman Kevin Wehrs out of the team’s season-ending loss in Grand Forks. Frattin was given a five-minute major for charging but was not tossed from the game.

On Monday, the WCHA suspended Frattin for Thursday’s Final Five play-in game against Minnesota Duluth. It’s the right call. Video screen captures may paint a picture of Frattin’s innocence but as INCH’s Joe Gladziszewski noted, one video frame represents one-thirtieth of a second and the impact of that collision lasts much longer. Wehrs exposed himself to a big hit, but Frattin left his skates and got his elbows and stick up. 

What does Union need to do to get more love? The Dutchmen are one of 12 teams in the country that enter the week nine games or more above .500, yet the voter-driven polls have them ranked 15th, behind two 17-13-7 teams, New Hampshire and Vermont (which was also two games below .500 in conference play).  Maybe it’s the lack of marquee wins—Union’s best victories are a pair of season-opening wins against Maine.

@Mike McKenzie11 Good to see all my fellow SLU students back from spring break … well rested and tanned. Must be nice.

St. Lawrence senior forward Mike McKenzie, who’s typically good for at least one hilarious tweet a week, is a Twitter must-follow for college hockey fans. And while he may not be tan or rested, he and his teammates are playing for the ECAC Hockey playoff championship this weekend in Albany.

NIAGARA FALLS, NY—Freshman Keenan Desmet netted the game-winning goal on the power play just 1:34 into overtime to give his Alabama-Huntsville Chargers a 3-2 victory over Niagara and a automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Sixty-eight seconds into OT, Niagara defenseman Jim Burichin helped stop a breakaway by the Chargers’ Andrew Coburn, but was called for slashing. The ensuing offensive zone draw went back to Chris deBruyn at the right point. He slid the puck to Neil Ruffini whose one-timer left a fat rebound for Desmet, who buried it for his ninth goal of the season.

“deBruyn slid the puck to Ruffini on the half wall and he one-timed a shot that came out to the slot and I just beared down on the puck—a good goal I guess,” said Desmet.

Niagara outshot the Chargers 16-7 and had four power play opportunities in the first period, but the first ended scoreless after a video review nullified an apparent Alabama-Huntsville shorthanded effort. Cale Tanaka took the initial shot and the rebound went to the skate of Andrew Coburn. He kicked the puck into the net, and it was ruled that he did not get his stick on the puck before it crossed the goal line.

Alabama-Huntsville goaltender Cameron Talbot earned CHA playoff MVP honors by stopping 72 of 74 shots he faced in wins against Robert Morris and Niagara.

The Chargers broke up the scoreless duel in the second. Brennan Barker’s shot from the point hit Niagara Brian Haczyk in the high slot and deflected into the net at 7:33 for a 1-0 lead. But just 20 seconds later, Niagara tied it up 1-1 when senior forward Chris Moran sniped the upper left corner of the net from the right wing wall. UAH then regained the lead with a power play goal at 16:31. Coburn found Cody Campbell alone at the back door for the easy tap-in.

Four minutes into the third period, Niagara got the equalizer. Brian Haczyk scooted in from center ice past the defense and fed a perfect pass to Marc Zanette for his seventh goal of the season. The Chargers appeared gassed late in the third, resorting to a half dozen or so icings, but the period ended tied 2-2 in spite of the Purple Eagles leading 15-5 in shots for the period and 44-20 total to send it into overtime.

“I was just trying to keep the team in the game until they could find a way to do it, so I was just doing my job out there,” said UAH goaltender and tournament MVP Cameron Talbot, who stopped 72 of 74 shots he faced during the weekend. “I was just thinking keep the puck out and give us a chance to win. We just kept icing the puck and icing the puck, so I was just hoping we’d find a way.”

“There were some moments there, especially late in the game where we relied a little too much on Talbie, but I thought the guys worked real hard. We gathered our composure and had a little more jump in the overtime,” said UAH head coach Danton Cole.

It marks the Chargers second CHA title and the senior class of Tom Train, Cal Tanaka, Kevin Morrison, Brennan Barker, and Brandon Roshko’s second championship after winning the 2007 crown, also in overtime. They took number one seed Notre Dame to double overtime before falling at the NCAA Midwest Regional in Grand Rapids, Mich.

“I don’t want to say we backed in; we won a championship so we deserve to be there,” Cole said. “If you get in, you earned it. Obviously, we’re going to play a number-one seed and a heck of a team, but we’ll battle. We’re not just going there to enjoy the experience.

“It’s officially now College Hockey Alabama; we’re changing the name.”

SEEN AND HEARD AT DWYER ARENA

· CHA All-Tourney Team selections as announced (for some reason four forwards and one defenseman were named to the squad)

D-Tyler Gotto (Niagara)
F-Ron Cramer (Robert Morris)
F-Ryan Cramer (Bemidji State)
F-Chris Moran (Niagara)
F-Cody Campbell (UAH)
G-Cameron Talbot (UAH)
MVP-Cameron Talbot (UAH)

· “They did so much for us,” said Niagara head coach Dave Burkholder about his senior class of Chris Moran, Ryan Olidis, Egor Mironov, Tyler Gotto, and Jim Burichin. “They carried us down the stretch—this was a season that could have gone bad and didn’t because of their leadership. They are all great kids; they’re all going to graduate on time; they’re all going to play pro hockey and they are great ambassadors for the campus.”

· Alabama-Huntsville forward Vince Bruni caught Niagara defenseman Dan Weiss with his head down midway through the first period. Weiss tried to make it to the bench, but fell back down three times before being helped to the locker room. He was able to return in the second period.

· Though the higher seed, Alabama-Huntsville wore their road blue uniforms and Niagara the home white. The Chargers called Niagara earlier in the week and asked if it was okay to reduce the equipment manager’s load.

· The Chargers departed immediately after the game for home—a 13-hour bus ride.

· Attendance for the CHA final was announced at 1,818. The consolation game drew 425.

· Classless move on the part of rink officials who turned off the scoreboards before the post-game handshake was finished and the final score never put up.

· Two seems to be the magic number this year in the CHA with two teams likely going to the NCAA Tournament and two current coaches among those listed as possibilities for the vacant Western Michigan head coaching job. Robert Morris head coach Derek Schooley is a WMU alum and UAH head coach Danton Cole played at Michigan State, was a head coach with Motor City, Muskegon, and Grand Rapids in the pro ranks, and is a Pontiac, Mich., native.

· R.I.P.-College Hockey America

Fighting for their NCAA playoff lives, Bemidji State watched a 1-0 third period lead disappear into a two goal deficit before rebounding with a pair of goals 53 seconds apart to earn a 3-3 tie with Robert Morris in the College Hockey America third place game.

The game marked the first time all season (20 games) where the Beavers lost or tied when leading after two periods.

Tyler Lehrke fed Ryan Cramer to give the Beavers a 1-0 lead with a power play goal-his third tally of the weekend-at 12:49 of the first period and it stood up into the third.

Robert Morris senior J.C. Velasquez ended over 100 minutes of scoreless hockey for the Colonials at 4:31 of the third. Then, on the next shift, Brandon Blandina scored while being pulled down 48 seconds later to give RMU the lead.

Just 1:18 later, Nathan Longpre rifled a bullet from the left faceoff circle to put the Colonials up by two.

“I thought so,” said Longpre when asked if he thought his goal put the game out of reach. “But they started pouring it on and we took a lot of bad penalties that cost us. We had a lot of shots, but we couldn’t capitalize.”

With six minutes remaining in regulation-and maybe with Bemidji State’s season on the line-they rallied for a pair of goals on consecutive shifts.

Ben Kinne pounced on the rebound from a Jamie MacQueen shot at 14:03 and then Ian Lowe scored 53 seconds later to tie the game.

“The attitude we have is to keep fighting and clawing away,” said Bemidji State senior captain Chris McKelvie. “We don’t quit and we’ve never quit in the history of this program, so it was nice to see this team battle back in the third period.”

Both teams had power play chances over the final five minutes and RMU had another in the overtime, but neither scored.

“It was a tough game to play with a lot at stake for Bemidji State,” said head coach Tom Serratore. “There was a short turnaround time from last night and we emptied the tank. We didn’t have any legs, but the guys showed a lot of resiliency.”

“It was a tough weekend with a lot on the line and we didn’t get the result we wanted, but I was really happy with the way we battled,” said McKelvie.

Mathieu Dugas came off the bench for Bemidji State after the third Colonials goal and made 12 saves in 19 minutes of action to preserve the tie and keep the Beavers hopes for a NCAA at-large bid alive.

“He was the closer today and he’s been thrown into this situation a few times this year,” said Serratore. “We can probably credit the tie to him because there were some hairy plays there not only at the end of regulation, but in the overtime.”

So will the tie be enough to earn the Beavers a spot in the NCAA tourney-the second CHA entry?

“I don’t know because the PairWise is very volatile. Right now we’re taking the approach that we’re in because I think that’s what we have to do. I just told the guys we’re going to come back Thursday and get ready for a regional. I think we’re safe, but there are so many other games that need to be played.

“We have to watch, we have to wait, but we feel good about it.”

SEEN AND HEARD AT DWYER ARENA

· Robert Morris forward Zach Hervato missed the game due to a left ankle sprain. He had x-rays Friday night. Chris Kushneriuk also was a coaches decision scratch Saturday-largely due to his meltdown in the penalty box and Zamboni entrance after his hooking penalty with 2:09 remaining in the third period that negated a Colonial power play.

· The two head coaches were in the Media Room about 70 minutes before faceoff when they decided which team would be on which bench. Bemidji State took the home, or Niagara, bench as the higher seed.

· When asked about Bemidji State’s NCAA chances with the tie, Robert Morris head coach Derek Schooley said, “That’s too complicated. I went to a good school, but I’m not a math major. I hope they get in. They’re a good hockey team and they had a good season and it would be great to end the CHA with two teams in the field.”

· About midway through the first period of the third place game, a public address announcement came over the speaker system throughout the entire complex about a child at the concession stand without a parent. Since there were no further announcements, we assume the stray was reunited with the parental unit.

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. - Niagara took a 1-0 lead just 4:29 into the first period and never trailed, weathering a wild third period of a 5-4 win over Bemidji State to advance to the College Hockey America finals for the fifth time in school history.

Niagara opened the scoring when David Ross won an offensive zone faceoff back to the right point. Tyler Gotto’s wrist shot through a screen found the net.

“Ross won the draw back and their coach was yelling at (Jordan) George to come through,” said Gotto. “I was waiting for him to come through and he set up to block it. I knew I just had to get the puck past him and I saw the corner of the net. I kept it on the ice because he was crunched down a little bit.”

Just 43 seconds later, the Beavers tied it, 1-1. Tyler Lehrke fed defenseman Chris Peluso, who found the top left corner. It was his first goal of the season and only the second of his career.

Senior Ryan Olidis gave the Purple Eagles the lead back with just 33 seconds remaining in the first with assists from Chris Moran and C.J. Chartrain.

The Beavers Ryan Cramer scored at 11:31 of the second from Shea Walters to again tie the game, but Gotto netted a power-play goal just 4:15 later to give Niagara the lead for good.

Brian Haczyk took a feather pass from Paul Zanette to score a short-handed goal late in the second to put the Purps up by two.

“Paul (Zanette) and I have been killing (penalties) together for two or three years now, so we know where we’re going to be at all times,” said Haczyk. “Getting the puck on the wall, he knew I was going to streak for the middle. He laid a nice soft pass out there for me and luckily I beat the defenseman and the goalie.”

The third period got a bit squirrely with three goals over a 2:20 span.

Bemidji State’s Shea Walters scored unassisted at 10:25 to again bring his team back to within a goal of the lead, but Niagara senior Egor Mironov pushed home a loose rebound at 11:40 to make it 5-3. Then Cramer netted his second of the game at 12:45 to make it a one-goal game for the fifth time.

But Niagara persevered through heavy offensive pressure over the final ten minutes to advance to the finals.

“It was pretty emotional, so I just reminded everyone on the bench to stay calm and keep it simple,” Gotto said of the third period. “We needed to get our momentum back so we could establish the forecheck like we did in the first two periods.”

As for Bemidji State and their hopes for an NCAA playoff at-large bid after being ranked among the top-10 for most of the season, head coach Tom Serratore said, “I have no clue. The pairwise is very volatile, but all I want to think about now is the game tomorrow. It’s a very important game for Bemidji State. I think you have to go in thinking a win is essential.”

“We played Michigan, Cornell, North Dakota, all probable NCAA tournament teams, and they (Bemidji State) are as good or better than some of those teams that we’ve played-no question,” Niagara head coach Dave Burkholder said.

“It would be an amazing story if they take care of business tomorrow that we could send two CHA teams to the tournament. What a fitting way to go off into the sunset.”

After Bemidji State and Robert Morris meet in the third-place game at 4 p.m., Niagara will play third-seeded Alabama-Huntsville in the championship at 8 p.m.

The only other time the two met in the title game was in the first CHA playoff in 2000. Niagara won that game 3-2 at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville.

“We lost season series (to UAH) 4-2 with the last in overtime, so it’s a team we owe,” Burkholder said. “We’re going to be the visitors on home ice, but if you told me at the beginning of the year with our schedule that we were going to play for a championship on the last day of the season, I’m in.”

The Chargers are 1-4 in title games and the Purple Eagles are 3-1.

SEEN AND HEARD AT DWYER ARENA

• Bemidji State traveled from Alabama-Huntsville, site of the last regular season games one week ago-to Niagara arriving Tuesday. In between were stops to see a Nashville Predators game against Vancouver Sunday and the Buffalo Sabres versus Dallas game Wednesday.

• Beavers senior defenseman Chris Peluso had his NHL rights traded from Pittsburgh to Toronto at the March 3rd trade deadline.

• Paper hats were passed out to fans to market next season’s IIHF World Junior Championships being held in Buffalo and at Dwyer Arena Dec. 26 - Jan. 5. The highest ticket package (all 31 games at HSBC Arena and Dwyer) goes for $1,240 with the lowest (a 21-game HSBC pack) at $493.

• Niagara senior Chris Moran kept his scoring streak intact. With his first period assist, he now has registered at least one point in all six CHA tournament games he has played in.

• The Purps are now 11-1-1 all time in the month of March at Dwyer Arena.

• A few fans were seen wearing the Bemidji State jerseys that were auctioned off after the final game in their arena. All had John S. Glas on the back above the number - the man the arena was named after. The Beavers move into a new facility and the WCHA in the fall.

BOX SCORE

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. - Third seed Alabama-Huntsville made a second period power play tip-in goal by Neil Ruffini stand up in a 1-0 victory over Robert Morris in the College Hockey America semifinals.

Ruffini tipped a shot from the point by defenseman Brennan Barker off the crossbar and in at 11:57 of the second period. The goal marked his eighth of the season, second consecutive game-winning goal, and third in two games at Dwyer Arena. He scored twice in the Chargers 3-2 win over Niagara Feb. 28.

The one-goal margin was the 16th such game of the season for the Chargers to go with three additional overtime ties.

“Most of our conference games are grind-it-out, tight one or two goal games,” said UAH coach Danton Cole. “I thought our guys did a pretty good job with that working hard between the whistles and not allowing a lot of open space.

“The power play and penalty kill lately have been good to us and helped us win a lot of games.”

The Chargers finished 1-for-6 with the man advantage and killed off six Robert Morris power play chances. Even more impressive were 16 shot-blocks including 11 in the third period.

“We did a good job blocking shots on the (Robert Morris) power play and 5-on-5 and we came up with some big blocks at the end,” said Chargers goaltender Cameron Talbot, who finished with 24 saves in registering the fifth shutout over the 11-year CHA playoffs and UAH’s first since Nov. 21, 2008 game against Yale, also a 1-0 affair.

“When we’re playing well, that’s how we play,” Cole said about the blocks. “Talbot made some saves, but that’s commitment level. (Cole’s former head coach) Terry Crisp used to talk about losing a limb to get the puck out or breaking a leg to block a shot and we’ll put somebody else out there.

“It’s an attitude. A tough game played by tough men and it’s probably one of my favorite stats to look at.”

“I kind of like them too,” chimed in Talbot at the press conference.

Robert Morris had its chance late with two consecutive Chargers minor penalties in the final five minutes of the third period, but after not converting on the first minor, the second was negated by a Colonials minor penalty and forced them to play 5-on-5 with the goalie out for all but eight seconds of the last two minutes.

“I think the off-week on the second to last week of the year may have hurt us,” said Robert Morris head coach Derek Schooley. “At the time we weren’t healthy so it helped in that way, but I think it may have put a little rust into us.”

Alabama-Huntsville advances to the conference finals to face fourth-seeded Niagara. The Chargers were 4-2-0 against Niagara this season. It will mark the Chargers sixth appearance in the championship game. They are 1-4-0 in the previous five.

SEEN AND HEARD AT DWYER ARENA

• Bemidji State senior forward Chris McKelvie (New Brighton, Minn.) has been selected as one of 32 male and female student-athletes to participate in the 2010 NCAA Frozen Four Skills Challenge held in Detroit, Mich. April 9.

• Alabama-Huntsville freshman forward Matti Jarvinen recently had a seven-game scoring streak, the Chargers longest since Jared Ross had points in 11 straight in 2004-05.

• In the postgame press conference, Robert Morris coach Schooley talked about his team’s move to Atlantic Hockey with Niagara next season. “When you play a team seven times in a season, that’s when you get a 1-0 game. They know what we do and we know what they do. And tomorrow, whoever we play for the seventh time will know again. We’re going into a very good league that will be even stronger with the addition of our two teams. And to be able to play different teams and not the same three teams over and over again is going to help everybody. We’re excited about the move and those who doubted our move to Atlantic Hockey are dead wrong for a lot of reasons. Everybody is sick of playing the same teams and you guys are sick of me in this building. I still need to come back, but it’s only once or twice a year. Bemidji has a great home; we have a very good home with Niagara and now it’s time to help Huntsville.”

• The conference tournament host hotel is the first I’ve stayed at in probably 20 years with a television remote control attached to a 10-foot wire. I guess that means it’s not a remote control, but a local control. Takes me back to 1980-something.

BOX SCORE

THE FAVORITE

While wins have been plentiful in Denver’s march to its third MacNaughton Cup of the past decade, blowouts have been a rarity. Even in winning 11 of the last 12 regular season games, the Pioneers’ opponents were within two goals in seven of those wins. Some might see that as a sign that these league champions are not as strong as some from past years, where five-goal margins were expected. We see it as a sign of strength. Since the Pioneers have rarely been able to go into “cruise control” mode late in games, we see a team that has developed real grit and the ability to win with a 60-minute effort. We’d be anything but surprised to see the Pioneers in the WCHA Final Five title game for the third consecutive year.

THE GATE CRASHER

In January, while North Dakota was in the midst of an ugly stretch where the Fighting Sioux went 1-5-1 and looked like a lock for a road playoff series, we tried to make the case that sans Chay Genoway and Brett Hextall (both injured at the time) NoDak was a different, more lunch-bucket team. Sioux coach Dave Hakstol would have none of it. But while Genoway’s on-ice stick salute last Saturday was all we’ve seen of him in a Sioux sweater, Hextall’s return and the unexpected re-addition of Matt Frattin have given North Dakota a bit of a retro look. To be clear, they’re playing like they did way back in November, winning seven in a row and scoring nearly five goals a night in that stretch as they head to the playoffs. This looks like a team bent on making one or two trips to the Xcel Energy Center in March.

INCH’s ALL-WCHA TEAM

F - Rhett Rakhshani, Denver
The lighting quick release makes Rakh the player WCHA goalies least like to see alone with the puck.

F - Jack Connelly, Minnesota Duluth
A breakout year for the Duluthian determined to return his hometown team to the Frozen Four.

F - Ryan Lasch, St. Cloud State
Five more points, and Lasch will finish as the Huskies all-time leading scorer. That’s not all he’ll be remembered for.

D - Brendan Smith, Wisconsin
The forward disguised as a blueliner on the Badgers’ ridiculously talented back line put up a WCHA-best 33 assists.

D - Patrick Wiercioch, Denver
When there’s a face-off late in a game and the Pios need a goal, all the forwards have one plan: get the puck to #28 on the point.

G - Marc Cheverie, Denver
Some point to his .937 saves percentage. We turn our gaze one column to the right, where we see an .810 winning percentage.

COACH OF THE YEAR

Credit Dave Hasktol and Bob Motzko for their successful in-season juggling acts brought on by injures and other factors, but give this nod to Denver’s George Gwozdecky for knowing when to plead and prod, and knowing, with the most on-ice talent in the league, when to get out of the way and let them do what they do. In pushing all of the right buttons, he made his colleagues look good too, becoming one of the rare WCHA coaches’ pre-season picks to actually win the league title.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

As Denver goaltender Marc Cheverie drives headlong in his quest to become just the third netminder to win the Hobey, we wonder if anyone in his hometown would even notice. Not that folks in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, aren’t proud of their native sons, but with a neighborhood kid named Sidney Crosby bringing a Stanley Cup and an Olympic gold medal back to town in the last 12 months, would the Hobey would even get a page 9C mention in the Dartmouth Cole Harbour Weekly News? With six shutouts en route to a league title and his sights set on more, we may have a chance to learn what kind of local impact the Hobey will make in the Maritimes.

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR

Speaking of gold medals, it’s been a nice winter for North Dakota forward Danny Kristo. The fiery redhead from suburban Minneapolis the missed out on a state high school title last winter with his Eden Prairie pals, opting instead for a year in the USHL. He hasn’t missed much in 2009-10, rattling off 30 points to become the WCHA’s top-scoring rookie and grabbing the top prize for Team USA at the World Junior Championships in early January. It’s scary to think what he might do for an encore.

BREAKTHROUGH PLAYER

The preseason bio on Minnesota Duluth forward Rob Bordson said the Duluth native intended to “turn up the volume” in 2009-10. If that’s the case, he was clearly set on “mute” a year ago, playing in just six games and going without a point as a sophomore. Then his volume knob got turned up to 11, or more accurately, 28, as in the number of assists he led the Bulldogs with this year. Playing left wing on one of the ‘Dogs top two lines much of the season, Bordson is an unexpectedly important element in Minnesota Duluth’s effort to repeat as Final Five champs, and return to the NCAAs.

Other Conference Recaps: Atlantic | CCHA | CHA | ECACH | Hockey East | WCHA

Playoff Preview Capsules: Atlantic | CCHA | CHA | ECACH | Hockey East | WCHA

No. 10 Michigan Tech at No. 1 Denver
MTU: 5-28-1 (4-24-0 WCHA)
DU: 25-7-4 (19-5-4 WCHA)
Season Series: Denver, 2-0-0
Husky Fact: Tech scored exactly half as many goals as their opponents, both in conference and overall play. In WCHA games, the Huskies had 59 goals and gave up 118. Overall it was 71 for, 142 against.
Pioneer Fact: The last time Denver hosted the Huskies in the WCHA playoffs was in 2005, when the Pioneers swept Tech en route to winning the Broadmoor Trophy and the NCAA title.
How Michigan Tech Wins: Score goals, and lots of them. The Huskies goaltending has not been a strong suit at any point this season, which puts them in the unenviable position of having to try to outscore an opponent that has Marc Cheverie between the pipes.
How Denver Wins: Same formula they’ve used all season: get a lead (even a small one), and hold it. Some think it’s a sign of vulnerability that the Pioneers have rarely blown out opponents. We think that learning to hold leads in close games may pay off big-time in March.

No. 9 Alaska Anchorage at No. 2 Wisconsin
UAA: 11-21-2 (9-17-2 WCHA)
UW: 22-9-4 (17-8-3 WCHA)
Season Series: Wisconsin, 2-0-0
Seawolf Fact: Alaska Anchorage’s last win in Madison was in a WCHA playoff game, a 2-1 victory on March 12, 2005. The Seawolves only trip to the WCHA Final Five came in 2004 when they upset the Badgers on the road.
Badger Fact: The 17-8-3 conference record by Wisconsin gave the Badgers sole possession of second place in the WCHA, which was their best finish since Mike Eaves took over the program in 2002. They tied for second in 2006, before winning the NCAA title.
How Alaska Anchorage Wins: Use your skilled lines, and shoot the puck. The Badgers are amazing at scoring goals and playing defense, but their goaltending is pedestrian. Put pucks on the net, and your odds go up dramatically.
How Wisconsin Wins: It all starts with the most talented blue line crew in college hockey. Let the defensemen control the play, and score goals like the Badgers have done all season.

No. 8 Minnesota State at No. 3 St. Cloud State
MSU: 15-18-3 (9-17-2 WCHA)
SCSU: 20-11-5 (15-9-4 WCHA)
Season Series: Minnesota State, 1-0-1
Maverick Fact: History tells us the two-hour bus ride to St. Cloud should be no burden for the Mavs, who are 7-1-1 in their last nine trips to the National Hockey Center.
Husky Fact: This will be the first playoff encounter between the Huskies and Mavericks. Since joining the WCHA in 1991, St. Cloud State has previously faced every conference team except Minnesota State in the league playoffs.
How Minnesota State Wins: Play the game with your head first, and your legs second. The Mavericks rival just about anyone in the WCHA in terms of experience, but mental mistakes have doomed them this season. Play a thinking man’s game.
How St. Cloud State Wins: Get the puck to the hot hands. Drew LeBlanc ended the regular season with 11 points in his last 10 games, while Ryan Lasch needs just five point to become the program’s all-time leading scorer. It starts with them.

No. 7 Minnesota at No. 4 North Dakota
UM: 17-17-2 (12-14-2 WCHA)
UND: 20-11-5 (15-10-3 WCHA)
Season Series: Tied, 1-1-2
Golden Gopher Fact: The last time Minnesota had a WCHA playoff game in Grand Forks was 1987, which was the last year all of the league playoff games were held at campus sites. The Gophers were also memorably upset by Holy Cross there in the 2006 NCAA playoffs.
Fighting Sioux Fact: North Dakota enters the playoffs on a seven-game winning streak, during which the Sioux are averaging 4.5 goals per game.
How Minnesota Wins: Play with heart. There’s never been a question about the Gophers talent, especially at forward, but they’ve played too many games lacking the fire that separates winners from also-rans. Facing a rival in the post-season, they’ll need passion.
How North Dakota Wins: Stay hot and hungry. After an ugly, injury-riddled stretch in January and early February, the Sioux have gotten healthier and forgotten how to lose. This is no time to remember.

No. 6 Colorado College at No. 5 Minnesota Duluth
CC: 18-15-3 (12-13-3 WCHA)
UMD: 20-15-1 (16-11-1 WCHA)
Season Series: Minnesota Duluth, 3-1-0
Tiger Fact: Colorado College has previously faced Minnesota Duluth 10 times in the playoffs, with five of the games going to overtime. This is the first time in the past 17 seasons that the Tigers have had to leave Colorado for the first round of the playoffs.
Bulldog Fact: Each of the last three WCHA playoff series hosted by the Bulldogs (in 1998, 2003 and 2004) has gone to a third game, with UMD winning each time.
How Colorado College Wins: Find new faces. The Tigers enter the playoffs ice cold and somewhat banged up, with goalie Joe Howe and others fighting the injury bug. Sounds like the perfect time for lesser-known Tigers with something to prove to step up.
How Minnesota Duluth Wins: Shrink the game. These will be the last playoff games on the DECC’s Lilliputian ice sheet. If the Bulldogs can make things uncomfortable for a team used to Olympic-size ice, they can advance to defend their WCHA Final Five title.

Playoff Preview Capsules: Atlantic | CCHA | CHA | ECACH | Hockey East | WCHA

Conference Recaps: Atlantic | CCHA | CHA | ECACH | Hockey East | WCHA